The Sufi way is through knowledge and practice, not through intellect and talk.
Idries ShahRead
To be obsessed by the idea of freedom, for instance, is itself a form of slavery. Such people are in the chains of the hope of freedom, and are therefore able to do little else than struggle with them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Obsession with freedom can lead to a state of mental bondage, limiting true freedom.
Idries Shah's quote suggests that excessive preoccupation with the concept of freedom can trap individuals in a cycle of desire and longing, akin to a form of slavery. This fixation can prevent them from experiencing true liberty and inhibit their ability to act meaningfully, as they become ensnared by their own hopes and struggles related to freedom.
Themes
FreedomObsessionSlaveryHopeStrugglePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health and freedom, one could reference this quote to highlight how attachment to an ideal can be detrimental.
More from Idries Shah
All quotes →To 'see both sides' of a problem is the surest way to prevent its complete solution. Because there are always more than two sides.
Idries ShahRead
You have not forgotten to remember; You have remembered to forget. But people can forget to forget. That is just as important as remembering to remember - and generally more practical.
Idries ShahRead
Banality is like boredom: bored people are boring people, people who think that things are banal are themselves banal. Interesting people can find something interesting in all things.
Idries ShahRead
Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right effort, right time, right people, right materials.
Idries ShahRead
The proverb says that 'The answer to a fool is silence'. Observation, however, indicates that almost any other answer will have the same effect in the long run.
Idries ShahRead
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